1. Field
Exemplary embodiments relate generally to flat panel display fabrication. More particularly, exemplary embodiments relate to a substrate-treating apparatus which can remove a metal precipitate, thereby preventing disconnection of a wiring, and a method for treating a substrate using the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A flat panel display, which may be enlarged, thinned and weight-lightened, is currently and commonly used as a display device. An example of such a flat panel display may include a liquid crystal display, a plasma display panel, an organic light emitting display and the like.
A liquid crystal display device is one type of flat panel display which is widely used. The liquid crystal display device applies a voltage to liquid crystal molecules to change orientation of the liquid crystal molecules. According to the change of orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, change of optical properties (such as a birefringence, an optical activity, a dichroism or a light-scattering) of liquid crystal cells is converted into visual change in order to display an image.
The liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel for displaying an image. The liquid crystal display panel includes wiring patterns formed from a metal. The wiring patterns may be formed through a photolithography method, including a light-exposing process using a mask and an etching process using an etchant. After the etching process, a cleaning process using a cleaning solution is performed to remove a remaining etchant on a substrate.
Thereafter, a gas may be sprayed with a high pressure from a liquid-removing knife to remove a remaining cleaning solution. The liquid-removing knife may be an air knife, and may spray air, or another gaseous medium, with a high pressure to remove the remaining cleaning solution. The remaining cleaning solution includes a metal. The metal may react with other components of the cleaning solution, thereby generating a metal precipitate. The metal precipitate may accumulate at an end of the liquid-removing knife by high pressure air.
When the metal precipitate is dropped on the substrate, a photoresist for forming the metal wirings may be damaged, thereby causing disconnection of the metal wirings.